Chappell v. Gonzales

Issue: Whether, when a state court’s rejection of a claim on the
merits was reasonable under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1), Cullen v. Pinholster requires that the claim be denied, or whether a federal court may stay the proceedings in order to permit the petitioner to present to the state court additional allegations of fact in support of the
claim.

Upcoming Oral Arguments

3/31Kimble v. Marvel Enterprises, Inc. Whether the Court should overrule Brulotte v. Thys Co., which held that “a patentee’s use of a royalty agreement that projects beyond the expiration date of the patent is unlawful per se”.

On Monday afternoon Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer testified before the House Appropriations Committee. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the Court’s budget for the next fiscal year and the federal judiciary, but the legislators also took full advantage of the occasion to touch on other topics as well.